Private Competitions: Behind the Curtain

…Private competitions, that’s where. And this week, Kagglers are getting their first, behind-the-scenes look at one of these competitions run by Allstate Insurance to predict customer retention.

Get ready for a competition unlike any we’ve seen before. If Kaggle is the sport of data science, these private competitions are like the U.S. Open, with a dozen or so of our highest scoring contestants coming together to compete head-to-head.

Private competitions are designed for businesses that, for reasons of commercial sensitivity, would otherwise be unable or unwilling to reveal their data to the crowd. Instead, these companies will hold their competitions behind closed doors, where only a handful of the best and brightest data scientists take part.

In addition to being a part of Kaggle’s elite A-team, the competing data scientists also have a chance to earn some good money. Unlike public competitions, all of the contestants get a share of the bounty, with prize funds typically running into six figures (although the lion’s share goes to the winner). Given the increasing popularity of private competitions, this could potentially translate into a full-time income.

Typically, the existence of the competition would be kept under wraps. But for the first time, thanks to Allstate, the public is allowed to spectate. Details of the competition and the results will remain private, but Kagglers will be able to follow the leaderboard and ultimately see who wins. This is an exciting development for us because it gives us a chance to share some insight into our vision for the future of data science.